This is an unofficial archive of PsychonautWiki as of 2025-08-08T03:33:20Z. Content on this page may be outdated, incomplete, or inaccurate. Please refer to the original page for the most up-to-date information.
WARNING: Always start with lower doses due to differences between individual body weight, tolerance, metabolism, and personal sensitivity. See responsible use section.
DISCLAIMER: PW's dosage information is gathered from users and resources for educational purposes only. It is not a recommendation and should be verified with other sources for accuracy.
Early discussion over DCK has revolved around speculation over claims of antibacterial or immunosuppressant properties. If this speculation is valid, it is possible that its prolonged use could potentially pose a serious threat to one's health and immune system, which along with bladder and urinary tract problems is why misuse of this substance is highly discouraged.[3] Ketamine has been found to have similar properties.[4]
Very little data exists about the pharmacological properties, metabolism, and toxicity of DCK, and it has a very brief history of human usage. It is strongly recommended that one use harm reduction practices if choosing to use this substance.
Deschloroketamine, or 2-Phenyl-2-(methylamino)cyclohexanone, is classed as an arylcyclohexylamine drug. Arylcyclohexylamine drugs are named for their structures which include a cyclohexane ring bound to an aromatic ring along with an amine group. Descholoroketamine contains a phenyl ring bonded to a cyclohexane ring substituted with an oxo group (cyclohexanone). An amino methyl chain (-N-CH3) is bound to the adjacent alpha carbon (R2) of the cyclohexanone ring.
Descholoroketamine is a chiral molecule and is often produced as a racemate. Des- is a prefix used in chemistry to denote the absence of a functional group (in this case "chloro") hence deschloroketamine is named for lacking a chlorine substitution on its phenyl ring, which is found in ketamine.
Due to the lack of research regarding the substance, all discussion regarding its pharmacology is purely based on its structure and subjective effect similarities to other arylcyclohexylaminedissociatives such as 3-MeO-PCP, PCP and MXE. With this in mind, DCK is thought to act as an NMDA receptor antagonist. NMDA receptors, a type of glutamate receptor, allow for excitatory electrical signals to pass between neurons in the brain and spinal column; for the signals to pass, the receptor must be open. Dissociatives inactivate the NMDA receptors by blocking them. This disconnection of neurons leads to the general loss of bodily sensation, motor coordination, memory recall and eventually this substance's equivalent of the “k-hole.”
In terms of its subjective effects, this compound feels closer to that of ketamine and MXE than more stimulating, non-immobilizing compounds of the same class such as 3-MeO-PCP, O-PCE and PCP. It has therefore come to be considered a more suitable ketamine substitute than many other popular arylcyclohexylamines currently available on the research chemicals market, although users are advised to exercise extreme caution due to the health risks it may pose if it does possess its speculated antibacterial properties.
Disclaimer: The effects listed below cite the Subjective Effect Index (SEI), an open research literature based on anecdotal user reports and the personal analyses of PsychonautWikicontributors. As a result, they should be viewed with a healthy degree of skepticism.
It is also worth noting that these effects will not necessarily occur in a predictable or reliable manner, although higher doses are more liable to induce the full spectrum of effects. Likewise, adverse effects become increasingly likely with higher doses and may include addiction, severe injury, or death ☠.
The toxicity and long-term health effects of recreational DCK use do not seem to have been studied in any scientific context and the exact toxic dosage is unknown. This is because DCK has very little history of human usage. Anecdotal evidence from people who have tried DCK within the community suggests that there do not seem to be any negative health effects attributed to simply trying this drug at low to moderate doses by itself and using it sparingly (but nothing can be completely guaranteed). Independent research should always be done to ensure that a combination of two or more substances is safe before consumption.
As DCK has been speculated to have antibacterial properties,[2] its prolonged use could potentially pose a serious threat to one's health and immune system.
As with other NMDA receptor antagonists, the chronic use of DCK can be considered moderately addictive with a high potential for abuse and is capable of causing psychological dependence among certain users. When addiction has developed, cravings and withdrawal effects may occur if a person suddenly stops their usage.
Tolerance to many of the effects of DCK develops with prolonged and repeated use. This results in users having to administer increasingly large doses to achieve the same effects. After that, it takes about 3 - 7 days for the tolerance to be reduced to half and 1 - 2 weeks to be back at baseline (in the absence of further consumption). DCK presents cross-tolerance with [[Cross-tolerance::all dissociatives]], meaning that after the consumption of DCK all dissociatives will have a reduced effect.
Urinary tract effects
In terms of its long-term health effects when used repeatedly and with excess for extended periods of time, DCK seems to exhibit almost identical bladder and urinary tract problems to those found within ketamine but to a lesser extent. This is suspected to be because DCK is more potent than ketamine, meaning that less of the drug needs to be consumed to produce analogous effects. Symptoms of ketamine-induced cystitis can become extremely serious and include:
Urinary frequency - Urinary frequency is the need to empty the bladder every few minutes.
Urinary urgency - This can be described as a sudden, compelling need to urinate.
Urinary pressure - This is experienced as a constant sensation of fullness in the bladder that is unrelieved by urination.
Pelvic and bladder pain - Pain can develop suddenly and severely, particularly as the bladder fills with urine.
Hematuria - Hematuria is visible blood in the urine.
Incontinence - This is the leakage of urine.
All of these, however, can easily be avoided by simply not using DCK on a daily or even weekly basis and manually limiting one's usage of the substance.
Dangerous interactions
Warning:Many psychoactive substances that are reasonably safe to use on their own can suddenly become dangerous and even life-threatening when combined with certain other substances. The following list provides some known dangerous interactions (although it is not guaranteed to include all of them).
Always conduct independent research (e.g. Google, DuckDuckGo, PubMed) to ensure that a combination of two or more substances is safe to consume. Some of the listed interactions have been sourced from TripSit.
Stimulants - Both stimulants and dissociatives carry the risk of adverse psychological reactions like anxiety, mania, delusions and psychosis and these risks are exacerbated when the two substances are combined.
Depressants - Because both depress the respiratory system, this combination can result in an increased risk of suddenly falling unconscious, vomiting and choking to death from the resulting suffocation. If nausea or vomiting occurs, users should attempt to fall asleep in the recovery position or have a friend move them into it.
Latvia: Deschloroketamine is illegal in Latvia.[9]
Germany: Deschloroketamine is controlled under the NpSG (New Psychoactive Substances Act)[10] as of July 18, 2019.[11] Production and import with the aim to place it on the market, administration to another person and trading is punishable. Possession is illegal but not penalized.[12]
Switzerland: Deschloroketamine is a controlled substance specifically named under Verzeichnis E.[13]
United Kingdom: Deschloroketamine is a class B drug in the UK and is illegal to possess, produce, supply, or import. As an N-alkyl derivative of 2-Amino-2-phenylcyclohexanone, it is covered by the arylcyclohexylamine generic clause added to the Misuse of Drugs Act by S.I. 2013/239, which came into effect on the 26th February 2013.[14]
Czech Republic: Deschloroketamine is legal in the Czech Republic.[15]
Austria: Deschloroketamine is illegal in Austria under the NPSV (Neue-Psychoaktive-Substanzen-Verordnung).[16]
Netherlands: Deschloroketamine can be legally bought as it is not covered by the 1st of July 2025 'blanket ban' Nieuwe Psychoactieve Stoffen (NPS).[17]
Morris, H., & Wallach, J. (2014). From PCP to MXE: A comprehensive review of the non-medical use of dissociative drugs. Drug Testing and Analysis, 6(7–8), 614–632. https://doi.org/10.1002/dta.1620
References
↑ 1.01.1Robins, E. G., Zhao, Y., Khan, I., Wilson, A., Luthra, S. K., Rstad, E. (1 March 2010). "Synthesis and in vitro evaluation of (18)F-labelled S-fluoroalkyl diarylguanidines: Novel high-affinity NMDA receptor antagonists for imaging with PET". Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. 20 (5): 1749–1751. doi:10.1016/j.bmcl.2010.01.052. ISSN1464-3405.
↑Gocmen, S., Buyukkocak, U., Caglayan, O. (2008). "In vitro investigation of the antibacterial effect of ketamine". Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences. 113 (1): 39–46. doi:10.3109/2000-1967-211. ISSN2000-1967.
↑Frison, G., Zamengo, L., Zancanaro, F., Tisato, F., Traldi, P. (15 January 2016). "Characterization of the designer drug deschloroketamine (2-methylamino-2-phenylcyclohexanone) by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry, multistage mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance". Rapid communications in mass spectrometry: RCM. 30 (1): 151–160. doi:10.1002/rcm.7425. ISSN1097-0231.
↑"Anlage NpSG" (in Deutsch). Bundesministerium der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz [Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection]. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
↑"§ 4 NpSG" (in Deutsch). Bundesministerium der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz [Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection]. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
